On September 11, 2001, millions of Americans dropped everything and stared with undeniable disdain as their seemingly impenetrable nation was under attack. Four commercial airliners were hijacked and more than 3,000 lives were taken by the Islamic Extreme group, al-Queda.

To pay tribute to the thousands of American citizens who had their lives stolen from them and the hundreds of civil servants who sacrificed themselves in order to salvage lives of fellow Americans, teachers of the Tiger staff have recollected their memories of that tragic day thirteen years ago.

“I had just graduated from college with a degree in Communication, so I was working for a newspaper,” English teacher Chrissy Boydstun said. “Determining if publishing a picture of someone jumping from the Twin Towers to escape the fire engulfing the upper floors was a difficult choice to make. Knowing it was a moment of impending doom captured with somebody’s camera from far away conveyed a message of unspeakable tragedy, one of many from that sad day in our nation’s history.”

Emotions were at an all time high, the general public expressed an array of emotions during the attack that penetrated the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon just outside of the nation’s capital.

“I was teaching in a portable at Worley Middle School when it happened. We saw the towers go down live,” history teacher Scott Holmes said. “The assistant principal came by and told us that we had to turn our TVs off because the kids were getting scared. The minute he walked off we turned the TV back on. It was history in the making.”

The shocking factor in the matter is the absolute astonishment of the attack. Citizens had no idea the impact that the less than one hour attack left on the nation when they woke up.

“I was in high school that sad day. I remember it clearly,” Spanish teacher Jonathan Tamayo said. “The news hit me like a MACK truck as I walked into the dressing room during first block. My first reaction was anger and disgust… how could human beings do this to each other?”

This devastation lead to America’s war on terrorism and united the country in many ways. Patriotism was in overdrive.

“Honestly I was mad. Fighting mad. I had three years left of inactive reserve time for the military and I was expected to be called up to combat, and I wanted to go,” Holmes said. “America was under attack, not just one group, the whole country and I think America felt it.”

The gravity of a single day- a single hour that the suicide terrorists took changed the face of the most powerful country in the world and showed that even in the darkest of times Americans still had light.

“Every year on this anniversary, my heart is filled with sadness as I watch the footage anew,” Boydstun said. “I’m not sure that ever goes away- the heaviness that this tragedy carries with it.”

A total of 2,753 people were killed in New York City, 343 of them were firefighters and paramedics that rushed to the scene. These men and woman, along with the citizens aboard the fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, will always and forever be remembered as true patriots whom showed the world the strength of the United States of America.

“I think about [the attacks] from time to time and try to live life to the fullest since we never know what day will be our last,” said Tamayo.

JROTC is to host a 9/11 memorial Thursday morning at 6:50 am at the flagpole in front of the school.

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.” – President George W. Bush

“9/11 Attacks.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.
“The 9/11 Encyclopedia.” New York Magazine. New York Media LLC, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.